


The Strings of Time

by writer12306



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Angst, Cute, Drabbles, F/M, Fluff, Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-16
Updated: 2016-06-16
Packaged: 2018-07-15 12:38:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7222648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writer12306/pseuds/writer12306
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a series of oneshots about various scenarios (both canon and AU) between Miranda Lotto and Noise Marie. Some will be cute, adorable fluff, some will be a bit more angst. There might be brief mention of canon character deaths in some chapters, but there shouldn't be too much that should be unsettling for people.</p><p>I will take requests for this! I will not do smut requests, however. I will do just about anything. Fluff, something with a bit more plot to it, angst, I'll do things with mass amounts of gore and violence as well, if requested. On these I will definitely put a warning, or, if I feel they require a higher rating or don't want to cause anyone any trouble, I will post them separately. Thank you for reading! (\^w^/)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lullabies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Miranda and Marie's rooms being beside each other, Marie can easily hear when Miranda has a nightmare. He attempts to calm her from one with music.

Marie's hearing was both a blessing and a curse. While it helped compensate for his missing eyesight, it often led to sleepless nights of sensory overload and wishing for total silence. His hearing could be helpful some nights, though.  
He knew another insomniac within the Order, and on nights when his sleeplessness was especially bad he would be able to tell if she was awake so he could go see if she wanted to walk around or simply sit together. Sometimes they spoke, during these times, but most times they would sit together in the silence of the night.  
On a night when Marie had been on the verge of falling asleep he heard Miranda's pulse spike. His first instinct was to rush to her room and knock on the door, calling through, "Miranda, are you okay?"  
He didn't get a response, but soon the patterns of her breathing, her pulse, and her terrified, nonsense-mumbling made sense. She was having a nightmare. Nightmares were familiar to most of the exorcists. Someone didn't leave battles like that without nightmares.  
"Miranda," Marie tried to wake her up without going into her room. It would be an invasion of her privacy, but he couldn't just leave her be. Soon he decided it would be better to go in and wake her up than to leave her be.  
When he gently shook her shoulder Miranda awoke with a gasp. It took her a moment to register that she was in her room, in her bed, safe. When she did, she softly whispered, "I'm sorry… I woke you up, didn't I…?"  
"No, I wasn't asleep," Marie assured. He sat on the edge of her bed. "Are you okay?"  
"I will be…" she murmured quietly and rolled over onto her side. Her nightgown stuck to her skin with sweat, and she couldn't help sweeping her hair away from her neck.  
"Do you want to talk about it?" he offered gently.  
"N-No…" she murmured. She carefully sat up beside him, "But… If it's not too much trouble, could you play a song with Noel Organon?"  
He nodded, "Of course." He carefully anchored the strings to the floor before he carefully began strumming out a quiet rhythm. It was a German lullaby that they had discovered was common in both of their home towns. It always seemed to do the trick to help Miranda calm down.  
This time it put her right back to sleep. Marie hadn't been playing for more than five minutes before Miranda's breathing and pulse evened out into the patterns of sleep.


	2. Storked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An Unwind AU where Miranda and Marie are storked. They don't see it how most people tend to, though.

On days where Miranda worked, she often awoke long before Marie. She would usually throw a small something together for breakfast; the extent of her cooking abilities was usually eggs and toast, it seemed. It was one such morning that she was up early with a warm cup of tea when there were three swift knocks on the door.  
A young woman with tears in her eyes ran away as quickly as she could once she knocked on the door. She had left a small bundle of blankets on the small, covered porch of the house.  
Miranda opened the door. She saw the girl running away, but she said nothing. Her eyes had widened upon seeing the sleeping baby at her feet. Her mouth gaped open for a moment as she slowly stooped to pick up the infant.  
The little baby awoke with a small cry as it was shaken from its slumber.  
"Oh dear, I'm sorry, baby, go back to sleep," Miranda cooed and gently rocked the baby. She knew enough about children to know that if she were to panic as she normally would it would just make things worse. She managed to keep herself calm as she hurried inside and hurried to the room she and Marie shared.  
"Marie, Marie!" she couldn't contain the excitement in her voice now, "Marie, we were storked!"  
The child's crying had been enough to wake Marie up. His own expression brightened a bit when he saw the bright smile on Miranda's face as she continued trying to calm the child in her arms back to sleep. Marie was speechless for a moment as he stood up and walked over to get a better look at the child. "This is wonderful…" his words were faint. He had never approved of the practice of storking, but it was something that he and Miranda had been hoping would happen for a long while.   
Miranda had finally calmed the tiny baby, "We should take the baby to the doctor, just to make sure that they're okay. Don't you think?"  
"Yes, that would probably be the best idea," Miranda nodded, "I'll go to the store and get things that we'll need to take care of a baby, while you do that."  
Miranda nodded quickly, "Which clinics do you think would be open this early? Do you think the one just outside of the neighborhood would be?"  
"Yes, it's a twenty-four hour clinic," he nodded.  
In the end, the child was healthy, and the two were more than happy to raise the baby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for putting for time to read it! Any support for these stories is greatly appreciated!


	3. Dear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marie accidentally lets slip an endearing nickname for Miranda around some of their friends.

"Would you like to go to the library later, Miranda, love?" Marie had gotten used to referring to her with such nicknames as dear, and darling, and love, but never had he said something like this around the others. That time hadn't been intentional, either, but it had happened.  
Miranda's face went bright red as Lenalee tried to hide her little smile behind her food.  
"Oh, so Lavi is right? You two are dating?" Lenalee rarely teased people about such things, but she couldn't help the occasional, juvenile behavior. Especially when she always tried to get Miranda to talk more with Marie.  
At the same time as Miranda hid her face in her hands and stammered out a few quick little explanations that made little sense when mumbled into her gloves, Marie began trying to cover his mistake.  
"I meant it's a lovely day to! Yes, the library is always cooler when everywhere else here is too hot!"  
"Oh, are you sure you weren't just talking about how much you love Miranda?" Lavi joined in with a snicker.  
"Yes, yes I am very, very sure about that," Marie's own face had gone red.  
"Oh, and what about that time when we were all turned into zombies-"  
"So, Miranda, do you want to go to the library when you're finished eating?" Marie spoke over Lavi.  
"Ah, denial. It's so sad that they can't accept their feeling for one another," Lavi stated over-dramatically to Lenalee.  
Miranda was still mumbled, not having moved her hands. Finally, she did, and softly stammered, "Y-Yes… That sounds nice, d-dear."  
"I knew it! You two really are dating, aren't you!" Lenalee exclaimed.  
Miranda just gave an overly quick nod and looked ready to just disappear from the room forever. "Do you want to go now, Marie?"  
"Yes, that sounds like a very good plan," Marie stood and offered her a hand.  
Needless to say, Miranda very nearly refused to show her face around the others again for a good few weeks.


	4. Tumble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miranda's clumsiness can lead to awkward moments.

Despite Miranda's exhaustion after most assignments she still managed to work up enthusiasm when she saw Marie again. Especially after a long term assignment that had left them away from one another for a good few weeks.  
"It's so nice to be back!" Miranda couldn't help jogging over to meet Marie as she had just gotten back. Her usual clumsiness seemed to pop up again, and just as she was about to slow down to hug him she accidentally tripped.  
Marie was used to that type of thing from Miranda, so he managed to catch her with little trouble. He hugged her close, "It's nice to have you back. I've missed you."   
"S-Sorry, I guess I was walking too fast," she quickly stammered the apology before regaining her composure. "Yes, I've missed you too. I can't believe I've been gone for two whole months. It doesn't feel like it should have been that long."  
"Well, you're back now," he offered her a happy grin and let his hands settle to rest on either side of her waist. "You're probably tired. Would you like me to walk you to your room so you can get some rest?"  
"Oh, you really don't have to! I would hate to trouble you!" she really appreciated his offer, but she was sure he probably had better things to do than put up with her.  
"It's not a trouble, if you would like me to walk with you. Besides, it would give me a chance to spend a little bit of time with you," he assured her gently. He was used to her doing things like that, refusing offers with the response that she didn't want to bother people.  
"Then… I-I would like it if you walk with me," she quickly stammered.  
"Shall we go, then?" he offered her a hand.  
Miranda gave a small hum of affirmation before she took his hand and they started walking. After a few steps she got herself tripped up again, but this time Marie wasn't expected it. In the end, they both ended up falling.  
Miranda seemed mortified once her senses were still enough to see what had happened, "Marie, I am so sorry! Oh, are you okay?!" It was only after another few seconds that she saw just how the two of them handed landed. "U-Uh… M-Marie, you're a little heavy…" Her face, neck, and ears had flushed pink.  
"I'm okay," Marie quickly assured. It didn't take him long to figure out how they had landed, either, and he quickly got up. "Yes, sorry, Miranda. Are you okay?" He offered her a hand up. His own cheeks had a tint of pink to them/  
"Yes, I'm fine," she mumbled quickly and took his hand. She seemed so terribly flustered about the whole thing. She could barely bring herself to talk to Marie until they got to her room. "Thank you for walking with me. I'm sorry, um, for what happened. I'll talk to you later, after I've rested a bit."   
"You don't need to be so apologetic about it, Miranda. I'm just glad you're back safely, " he assured before gently hugging her. "Sleep well, Miranda, I'll talk to you later."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this! Any support on this is appreciated!


	5. Cuddles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miranda can become very cuddly when she feels unwell.

"Marie… I don't feel well," Miranda mumbled against Marie's shoulder. The two of them, despite Miranda at first not quite finding it to be proper behavior, would often share a bed. It helped them sleep on nights when they couldn't, and it offered good opportunities to be close to each other.   
"What's wrong?" He asked. His voice held a note of concern as he shifted a hand out from under her to feel her forehead.  
"I think I'm getting sick," she gave a truly pathetic whimper.  
"You don't feel feverish, at the very least," he offered her that reassurance. "Do you want me to take you to the infirmary?"  
"No… I don't really feel bad enough to bother the Head Nurse. Besides, the infirmary is practically a war zone," her voice did sound a bit hoarse, like her throat was irritated.  
"You aren't wrong, about that. I'm sure she has her hands full with Kanda and Allen. If you really do feel unwell, you should go, though. It would do us no good if you were to get too sick. Besides, you sound like you feel terrible," he gently kissed her forehead. Her skin wasn't feverish in the slightest.  
"I'll be fine…" she murmured after another few moments.  
"Do you want me to go get you something warm to drink from the cafeteria?" he asked gently.  
Again, Miranda shook her head against his shoulder, "I don't want you to move, you're warm."  
He couldn't help a small chuckle. She always did seem to be more cuddly when she was hurting or didn't feel well. "All right, I'll stay right here for you."  
"Thank you," she snuggled closer to him and pulled the blankets closer around herself.   
He just ran his fingers through her hair and hugged her again. He couldn't help a small smile as he heard her breathing even out into the patterns he associated so closely with sleep.


	6. Chin Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one is a bit darker, with a bit of talk of death. Miranda is feeling down on herself, Marie tries to cheer her up.

Since meeting Marie, Miranda had cried less in general. Most of the time it was because she really as happier than she had been, but sometimes it was because she knew that no matter where she was in the Order he would hear her crying and she wouldn't be able to hide that she was sad from him. Sometimes, though, she just couldn't stop her tears.   
Miranda sat curled with her back against the arms of one of the couches in a sitting room in the Order. She shakily tried to muffle her crying and her sniffling, but it did little good. It wasn't long before she heard the door to the room open.   
Marie didn't say anything, at first. He just walked over and sat beside her. When he could hear her crying calm down a bit, he gently asked, "Is something the matter, Miranda?"  
"N-No… I'm sorry, it's stupid," she whispered and wiped at her eyes and her face. "S-Sorry for bothering you. I know all I do is annoy all of you…" She gave a little crying-induced hiccup as she managed to calm herself enough to talk.  
"You're not a bother to anyone, Miranda. If something is bothering you, then I want to help you," Marie murmured softly. He carefully took her hand and lightly ran his thumb across the back of her hand. Her gloves, in spots, were damp from her wiping at her cheeks and eyes.  
"It's just that I'm so, terribly worthless," she whispered in a voice that was roughened by crying. It sounded like she had to force the words past a lump in her throat. "I'm sorry. I'm probably just bothering you. I'm alive, I don't have any right to be upset, after all."  
"You're not worthless, and you have plenty of right to be upset, Miranda. Sometimes people just feel poorly about themselves, and when they do then it's not something they should feel bad about," he assured gently. "You're quite useful, actually. Do you know how many of us wouldn't still be here if it weren't for your abilities, and your perseverance?"  
"But what about the people I can't help? And what about the fact that I can't fight?" she swallowed hard to try and clear her throat some to make talking easier. This only proved to bring more tears.  
"You don't need to fight to be useful, Miranda. You're not going to be able to save everyone, either, but you try your best and you save everyone you can. That makes things far better than they were even just a few years ago. The casualty rates have gone down, you know," Marie tried to reassure her.  
"A lot of the people I can't save die protecting me, Marie. If I weren't so defenseless then I wouldn't need that help," she whispered softly.  
"Then work to get stronger so you can protect yourself, too," Marie said, "I could help you, I'm sure Lenalee and Allen would be happy to help too, if you needed."  
"Do you really think I would be able to?" she asked softly.  
"I know you'd be able to with enough work. When I first became an exorcist, I could hardly fight at all, but now, even without my eyes, I can fight at a level just below that of a general. Any one of us exorcists, with enough work and time, can get stronger than we ever thought."  
"Marie, thank you. I really needed to hear all of this today," she murmured softly and hugged him. "Maybe, once I've calmed down a little more, we could work on figuring out ways I could get stronger."  
"That's a perfect idea," he gently hugged her back.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for taking time to read this! Any kind of attention to this is much appreciated!


End file.
